(T>B) Wealth of the Mane 6 · 3:37am Nov 22nd, 2020
From this thread:https://www.fimfiction.net/group/50/the-writers-group/thread/419185/how-rich-did-the-mane-6-get
Hmm... Not counting shared income, like mission rewards or royalties on the Journal...
Twilight went from "student stipend" to "Princess Stipend" which probably went up over time, to "the Royal Treasury". I doubt her personal expenditures, however, ever far exceeded the middle-class Canterlot lifestyle she was born into.
Applejack has a share in a farm that I suspect became more prosperous and secure as time went on. Thing about farms, though, is they're cycles - you use the profits from the harvest to invest in next year's harvest as well as tiding you over the winter. So probably not that much ready cash, but it's not like she has expensive tastes.
Pinkie Pie draws a pretty modest salary from the Cakes and only charges for her parties half the time at most, yet somehow never seems short. This has at various times worried both the populace of Ponyville and the investigators of the Royal Mint, but nopony has ever found evidence of things or bits going missing anywhere to match her ready supply. This might have led to more worries, except at this point all involved decided to go home and not think about it very hard instead for some reason.
Rainbow Dash drew a decent salary as weather manager and a better one as a Wonderbolt, but seems to consider it's purpose to be as thourouglhy disposed of as possible by next payday - savings are for old ponies.
Fluttershy had an adequate salary as Animal Manager (seriously, stop calling her jobless!), though not as good as if she'd actually negotiated (in the end Rarity had a few words with Town Hall on her behalf), but there were always needy creatures to spend it on. What personal luxuries she has mostly come from having generous friends, culminating in Twilight arranging a royal grant in perpetuity to fund the Sweet Feather Sanctuary.
Rarity is probably the most financially-minded of the group, splitting her growing income into various slices after paying her employees. The biggest one is Safe Investments, followed by Good Causes, Business Improvements, Personal Luxuries and Risky Investments. The fact that she still lives a top-drawer lifestyle shows how profitable both her business and her investments are - and if she does it partly on credit, who could ask for better guarantors?
So some of them are well off, some off the scale, and others doing alright. And the ones with money will support the ones without if it comes down to it.
Not for nothing, but at least in "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" we're told that the Apple family needs the full profits from cider season to stay afloat during the winter months. I suspect the Apples could always make an appeal to others for financial aid (Filthy Rich would surely lend some bits to keep his business partner from going under, if only so Granny won't give him an earful) but they're too proud and stubborn to really consider it.
5405029
That was Season 2, though - I doubt AJ would cut back her farm time to work at the school if it wasn't secure.
5405048 Maybe, but "Going to Seed" suggests she still is primarily responsible for the farm and all the harvests.